Based on this question, it looks like KSC has not only its own police department (which is fairly common for large facilities, even things like universities) but also a SWAT team, which apparently was established in 1979.
What lead NASA to establish this? It long predates the post-9/11 concern with internal security. Was there some specific event? Or something that meant that some other organization (military? Other federal LEO?) would not provide heavily-armed security?